e
pleased?"

"My dear chap, she didn't know." The laugh was more apparent now. Nick
removed his cigar to indulge it. "I was most careful not to get in her
way, you understand. I was simply there--if wanted."

"And events proved you justified, I suppose?" Max sounded interested
after a cynical and quite impersonal fashion.

"They did," said Nick. His own elastic grin appeared for an instant and
was gone. "Events can generally be trimmed to suit your purpose," he
said, "if you are sufficiently in earnest."

"That has not been my experience," observed Max briefly.

"Perhaps you haven't tried," said Nick.

Silence descended once more, and Nick was rude enough to fall asleep.

An hour later he awoke with extreme alertness in response to a remark
from Max as to the lateness of the hour.

"Yes, by Jove," he said. "I must be getting back. By the way, Wyndham,
did I mention to you that Sharapura is the name of the place we are
going to? It's quite an interesting corner of the Empire, and declared
by medical experts to be a top-hole neighbourhood for studying malaria."

"Is that a recommendation?" asked Max grimly.

Nick's smile was geniality itself. "It is," he answered; "a very strong
recommendation." He thrust out a friendly hand. "Good-night, my son, and
good luck to you!"

Max's grip was hard and sustained. He looked into the grinning, humorous
face, and almost in spite of himself his own mouth took a humorous
twist.

"So that's what you came to say, is it?" he said. "Well, good-night, you
old rotter, and--thanks!"

Nick mounted his horse and rode back in the moonlight, singing a
tuneless but very sentimental love lyric to the stars.

Part II

CHAPTER I

COURTSHIP

"It must be great fun gettin' married," said the chief bridesmaid
pensively to the best man. "Why don't you go and get married, Noel?"

"I'm going to," said Noel.

"Oh, are you?" with suddenly-awakened interest. "Soon?"

Noel screwed up his Irish eyes and laughed. "In twelve years or
thereabouts."

"Oh!" A pair of wide blue eyes regarded him attentively. "Twelve years
is a very long time," observed the chief bridesmaid gravely.

"It is, isn't it?" said Noel, with a large sigh.

"P'raps you'll be dead then," suggested the chief bridesmaid.

"What a jolly idea! P'raps I shall. In that case, the marriage will not
take place."

She sat down on his knee, and slipped a kindly arm round his neck. "I
hope you won't be dead,